MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Every season, West Virginia coach Bob Huggins seems to have someone ready to jump off the bench in a scoring mood.
Teddy Allen has become that guy for the Mountaineers at the start of the Big 12 season. The freshman’s nickname? Buckets.
The reserve forward and Boys Town graduate scored 20 points in 24 minutes, Sagaba Konate had 14 of his 16 points in the second half and No. 6 West Virginia beat No. 7 Oklahoma 89-76 on Saturday night.
It was the second straight game and the third time this season that Allen scored at least 20 points. In three Big 12 contests, Allen has now made 24 of 34 shots from the floor.
“My confidence is really growing,” said Allen, who is from Mesa, Arizona. “My teammates are urging me on and my coaches are coaching me up and they are helping me gain the confidence that I need in big games like this.”
West Virginia (14-1, 3-0) overcame another lousy shooting performance from beyond the arc, making just 7 of 26 shots (26.9 percent).
“It’s just like a golf scramble,” Huggins said. “Everybody doesn’t have to hit a good shot, just somebody. And that’s kind of what’s happened to us. Somebody always steps up and makes plays. Teddy made some big plays.”
Oklahoma freshman Trae Young, the nation’s scoring and assists leader, finished at his scoring average with 29 points on 8-of-22 shooting. The Mountaineers spent much of the game double-teaming Young, who committed eight turnovers and had his streak of double-doubles ended at five games.
West Virginia held the nation’s top-scoring team to its lowest total of the season while extending its winning streak to 14 games, its longest since winning 22 straight during the 1988-89 season. Oklahoma (12-2, 2-1) saw its 10-game winning streak snapped.
“This is a tough league, and we’ve got to get better,” Young said. “They are known for being a great defensive team and they did a good job on defense tonight.”
Jevon Carter, who finished with 17 points for West Virginia, went to the bench with his fourth foul with 13:30 left, and Young made two free throws to give Oklahoma a 53-51 lead.
Despite Carter missing the next 10 minutes, the Mountaineers never trailed again. Konate hit two straight baskets to start a 12-2 run, and Lamont West later made two free throws for West Virginia’s largest lead, 73-62, with 5:25 left.
When Carter left the game, “I just wanted to be aggressive,” said Allen, who scored 10 points over the final 12 minutes. “If someone who usually scores the ball goes out, we get to be more aggressive. This was a big step forward tonight.”
Oklahoma got no closer than six points the rest of the game. Carter returned with 3:45 remaining and made a basket and a free throw to help keep the Sooners at bay.
“Jevon Carter is terrific, of course, but when he went out, the other guys picked up the slack and did a good job for him,” Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger said.
Young made just two field goals over the final 14 minutes.
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